This application is related to co-pending application 11/098,269 filed on Apr. 4, 2005.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens apparatus, and to an image-capturing apparatus that includes the lens apparatus and a camera apparatus attached to the lens apparatus, and is used, for example, as a TV lens for TV shooting.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical apparatus for use in TV shooting includes a TV camera body and a TV lens, which is attached to the TV camera body. The TV lens is mainly composed of a lens body and a drive unit. The lens body includes an image-capturing optical system and a manual ring for manually operating the image-capturing optical system. A motor for electrically driving the manual ring, a control board, and a CPU are stored inside the drive unit, which is externally provided with various switches and operating members for electric control. TV shooting used to be normally performed by manual zoom control and manual iris control of a TV lens. However, since TV shooting is often performed by an electric servomotor these days, various functions are added to a drive unit (see Japanese Patent No. 03420542 (no corresponding foreign application)).
Examples of such added functions include a preset function for allowing the zoom to be motor-driven to a previously stored position with the press of a switch. Another example is a function for allowing the user to freely assign such a preset function to any of a plurality of switches on the drive unit.
To set such various functions, the optical apparatus includes function-setting means, a display panel to be used therefor, and memory means for storing setting information for each function related to image-capturing with a TV lens. An optical apparatus having function-setting means with easy and quick adjustability and excellent operability can thus be provided.
Such various functions expand the range of image-capturing capability and enable the camera operator to perform the most suitable camera work according to the shooting situation.
An optical apparatus including a TV camera body and TV lens for TV shooting is often shared among many camera operators, as it is normally owned by a broadcasting company or production company, not by an individual. Therefore, since settings are determined differently depending on the operator, an unintended function previously defined by another operator may be accidentally activated, for example, during the operation of switches on the drive unit.
There are an increasing number of cases where function settings are determined depending on the subject of TV shooting. For example, since a preset function that allows for quick framing is required in sports broadcasting, a preset function with quick movement is normally assigned to a switch on a drive unit of an optical apparatus owned by a department involved in sports shooting. On the other hand, since a preset function with relatively slow movement is used in drama shooting, a preset function with slow movement is normally assigned to a switch on a drive unit of an optical apparatus owned by a department involved in drama shooting. The above-described problem also arises when these settings are changed by individual camera operators.
Since setting information for each function related to image-capturing with a TV lens can be changed only by special operations, function settings defined for each subject of TV shooting cannot be easily changed. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent the problem of accidentally activating unintended functions during the operation of switches on the drive unit.